“Red sky at night, sailors’ delight. Red sky at morning, sailors take warning.” 

Even the sailors of old knew to take warning when they saw the red sky at morning. They knew a storm was coming. This little rhyme has proven to be accurate this week. And little wonder, for this is a re-worded truth straight from the mouth of God. “When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.  And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times” (Matthew 16:2-3)?

On the way to work this past Wednesday and Thursday mornings, I was greeted with a fiery-red sunrise. The picture attached was taken in front of work by my co-worker. The sky appeared to be on fire. On both days, the fiery-red sunrise was the warning of a storm to follow. On Wednesday afternoon there was a thirty minute snow shower (just enough to create some excitement). However, the storm that followed Thursday morning’s sunrise was one of much greater magnitude. Meteorologists all over the country were sounding the trumpet of winter storm Jonas. The warning was communicated through every avenue; television, radio, social media, and weather apps. It was unavoidable! They wanted to make sure we had time to prepare for the storm. 

On one news report that I saw, a lady was interviewed in a grocery store parking lot. She was asked what type of items she had purchased to prepare for the upcoming storm. Bread, milk, water, lamp oil, kerosene and batteries were all found in her buggy. The news reporter went on to say that each of these items are necessary if you are going to bunker down in the cold without power. 

The preparation for the storm pays off when it hits. It is at those points that we are thankful we took heed to the meteorologist and their forecast. Before this storm hit, several state governors were encouraging their people to stay off the roads and to remain indoors at night. Unfortunately, not everyone listened. At this point, sixteen lives have been lost due to the storm. 

Not much has changed since Paul gave a solemn warning to the people aboard the ship heading to Rome. In the book of Acts, we have the account of Paul trying to warn the people about the upcoming storm. Interestingly, before the warning was issued, the ship they were on came to a place called The fair havens. “Fair” is defined as clear, beautiful, and not a cloud in sight. “Haven” means a harbor or inlet of the sea that was a safe station for ships; a shelter and place of safety. This is the place they were stationed. While at The fair havens, Paul said, “Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives” (Acts 27:10). The next verse, to me, is the saddest one in this account. “Nevertheless the centurion believed the master and the owner of the ship, more than those things which were spoken by Paul” (Acts 27:11). So, they left the haven of rest and sailed toward Crete. 

Notice what happens after they neglect the warning from God’s man. “But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon. And when the ship was caught, and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive. And running under a certain island which is called Clauda, we had much work to come by the boat: Which when they had taken up, they used helps, undergirding the ship; and, fearing lest they should fall into the quicksands, strake sail, and so were driven. And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship; And the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship. And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away” (Acts 27:14-20). 

The forecasted storm hits. There is danger on every side and fear has gripped every soul; every soul but one.  “But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss. And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship. For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,  Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me” (Acts 27:21-25). 

Sadly, the only one who believed the warning was the one who gave it; the Apostle Paul. The angel of God appeared unto him and told him not to fear, that he must be brought before Caesar and God had given him all that were sailing with him. Paul encouraged the 275 souls on board with him, “Be of good cheer: I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.” He told them to cheer up! He believed God’s Word that was spoken to Him. The amazing thing to me is that it was THE angel of God that appeared unto him that night. An angel is simply an appearance of someone. Anytime “an angel of God” is mentioned it could be the appearance of any of God’s angels. But, when it is THE…THE is specific. It is specifically the angel (or appearance) of God. The appearance of God is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ appeared to Paul and let him know that he would be okay, along with everyone aboard the ship. But, even after Paul had declared what Jesus Christ had told him, many did not believe. They were about to jump overboard to save their own lives until Paul said, “Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.” I love that verse. Abide in the ship. Stay in the good old Gospel ship, the old ship of Zion. Even when the dark stormy winds are blowing against the ship; get on the ship, and stay on the ship. It reminds me of this old song…Ship Ahoy!

I was drifting away on life’s pitiless sea,

And the angry waves threatened my ruin to be,

When away at my side, there I dimly descried

A stately old vessel, and loudly I cried:

“Ship ahoy!” Ship ahoy!”

And loudly I cried: “Ship ahoy!”

‘Twas the old ship of Zion, thus sailing along,

All aboard her seemed joyous, I heard their sweet song;

And the Captain’s kind ear, ever ready to hear,

Caught my wail of distress, as I cried out in fear:

“Ship ahoy!” Ship ahoy!”

As I cried out in fear: “Ship ahoy!”

The good Captain commanded a boat to be low’red,

And with tender compassion He took me on board;

And I’m happy today, all my sins washed away

In the blood of my Savior, and now I can say:

“Bless the Lord!” Bless the Lord”

From my soul I can say: “Bless the Lord!”

O soul. Sinking down ‘neath sin’s merciless wave,

The strong arm of our Captain is mighty to save;

Then trust Him today, no longer delay,

Board the old ship of Zion, and shout on your way:

“Jesus saves!” Jesus saves!”

Shout and sing on your way: “Jesus saves!” 

(Mary J. Cartwright/D.B. Towner, 1850-1919)

Thankfully, Paul believed God. He had the Word of God, but the people did not want to listen. Praise be to God that one listened. Look at what happened because of one man’s obedience. Verse 44 of Acts 27. “…And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land.” One of the many encouraging phrases in the Word of God. “And so it came to pass.” The storm did pass over, and many were saved because of one man’s obedience. The gospel ship will make it to its final destination. The Captain of the ship said so.

Are you onboard the right ship? There are only two eternal destinations. Hell and Heaven. The old ship of Zion, who’s Captain is the Lord Jesus Christ, has weathered every storm it has ever faced. The Captain of this storm-weathered ship is God. And He knows the pathway that lies ahead. He is also in control of the waves and the wind. By the Word of His mouth, He can rebuke the wind. “Peace, be still.” Three simple words and the waves and winds obey His voice.

The other ship has a Captain who seems to be one of great wisdom and beauty. His ship, the S.S. Delight, is equipped with the latest technology and is constantly being upgraded and expanded. All the trinkets, toys, and luxuries that this world can offer are on this ship. In fact, it is more like a cruise-liner. Its advertisements are very alluring; stating things like, “Come along for the ride of your life.” “Eat, drink, and be merry.” Every commercial show people laughing, smiling and enjoying themselves. And the captain even appears to be an angel. He looks to be an angel of light. In all its glitz and glamour this ship seems to be more attractive. And there are more people aboard this ship. But, like every good lie, the full-truth is concealed. And the people aboard this ship are deceived. The final destination of this ship is not the haven of rest. It is to a lake, but not just any lake…it is the lake of fire. This destination is one of eternal torment. In fact, the destination is the place where Hell will ultimately be located. It is eternal darkness, eternal weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth. It is a place where the worm never dies. It is a place of eternal screaming for help, and yet no help or relief. The sad part is that most people aboard this ship have no idea that this is their final destination. They are under the impression that this is the ride of their life, and there could be nothing better. That is just what their captain wants them to believe. Their captain’s name is Lucifer, also known as that serpent, the devil, and Satan. 

Thankfully, there are still times when the old ship of Zion will pass by this cruise-liner. In fact, many times they will port in the same harbor. It is here where the people on the old ship of Zion and the S.S . Delight meet one another. They will run into one another at the stores, shops and street corners as they are out and about. As they meet one another and begin to converse, they discover they all have something in common. Each of them had been aboard the S.S. Delight at some point in their lives. But the souls that are now aboard the old ship of Zion begin to share why they changed ships. As one man recounts his story he shares, 

“Yes, I too was on board the S.S. Delight. I was having the time of my life until one day I met a man in one of the port cities. If I’m remembering correctly, the port city was called Verdad; which in our native language means truth. It was here that this man, who called himself a preacher, asked me a life changing question. He asked me, ‘If you were to die today, where would you go?’ To be honest, I had never given that question any serious consideration. My reply to him was that I would just die and that would be it.”

“He assured me that was not the case, but the truth was that all of us are eternal beings and that all of us will live forever somewhere. I became more interested and asked him what he meant by this. He began to explain further and described the two destinations. The first place he described was called Heaven. It was one of glorious splendor; a place of rest, peace and eternal bliss. He described it as a city: a city without any pain, disease, sickness, or ill-will. A city without sin. A city with streets made of gold. A city that has gates of pearl. A city of light. A city where the Lamb of God lives and reigns.” 

“As he was talking I began to felt a nudge at my heart, but at first I just dismissed it. He then began to tell me about the Captain of His ship. I thought to myself, You mean that old, worn down ship? At this point, I started to doubt what he was saying. But he continued on. He told me that the Captain of His ship was a Savior. But not just any Savior, a personal Savior. He said, ‘I never knew that I needed a Savior until this preacher man told me about the Holiness of God and His perfect law.’ The law, he said, was given to be followed. It was given to protect us and to keep us in fellowship with a Holy God. However, the law was broken. Not just some of it, all of it. “Every single law?,” I thought. I was a pretty good citizen. Yet he proceeded further and gave me a list of commandments that God had given. I’ll summarize to be brief, but it went something like this, 1) Thou shalt have no other gods before me 2) Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness. 3) Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. 4) Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 5) Honor thy father and thy mother. 6) Thou shalt not kill 7) Thou shalt not commit adultery. 8) Thou shalt not steal. 9) Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. 10) Thou shalt not covet anything that is thy neighbor’s. 

He went on to explain that the perfect law of God had to be kept to have fellowship with God. I really didn’t understand what that meant, but it is like he read my mind. He told me that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Everyone at some point in their life has told a lie. He told me that we come forth from the womb speaking lies. We have a nature that is bent toward evil from birth. Never once has a parent had to teach a child how to lie, they just know how to do it because all of us are born evil, and separated from God. We are unable to know Him and have a relationship or fellowship with Him. That was until God Himself made a way for this to happen. 

Then, I was fully engaged. “God Himself?,” I thought. ‘Yes, God Himself, in the form of a man. He was birthed into this world as a man through the virgin womb of Mary. He had the very blood of God. God Himself, became God with us…or Immanuel. The whole purpose of His coming was to save His people from their sin. In fact, that is why He was named Jesus, or Savior. He was and is the only baby born to die.’ “What?!” I thought. A baby born to die? He explained further, ‘This baby was no ordinary baby, for He was God in flesh. God as someone just like you and just like me. Yet He never sinned. Never once did he say a cross word or tell a lie. Never once did he treat someone unjustly. Never once did He put His Father second to anything or anyone. He lived a perfect, sinless life. He went around doing good unto those around Him. He healed the lepers, gave the blind their sight back, and even raised some from the dead. But more than all of that, He forgave people from their sin.’ “What?! He had that power?!” ‘Yes, He did. He was God. That was one of the reasons the religious people hated Him so much. They hated Him because He forgave people who had broken the law. Remember the 10 Commandments we were just talking about. He forgave people who had broken those laws. And it made the religious people mad. Yet, He continued to heal, forgive and save. Many became so angry with Him that they wanted to kill Him. And that is exactly what they did. They falsely accused Him of blasphemy. They delivered Him to the courts of the people, and no fault was found in Him.’ “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth” (Isaiah 53:7). And that He was the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. He was mocked at, spit upon, beaten and bruised. He was forsaken, and stripped of His clothes. This is the scene that led Him to the cross.  A place of cruel, painful death. A place of suffering. This suffering servant, Jesus Christ, became what I am. He became sin. He was stricken because of me. On this hill called Calvary, He willingly laid down His life. And on this hill he saw down through the corridors of time sinners just like you and me who would need forgiveness. And on this hill He cried out, “It is finished!” It is on this hill that He gave up the ghost and died. This Lamb became the offering for sin; the perfect offering that God required in order to forgive you and me. He was then taken down from the cross and buried in a borrowed tomb. In this tomb, His body laid for three days. All the while His soul suffered the death of a sinner in Hell. Yet, just as He promised, on the third day He rose again and was resurrected. And therein He displayed His glorious power over death, Hell and the grave. He laid down His life, and He took it up again for you and for me. His resurrection proved yet again that He is God. And if He makes you free, you are free indeed! He longs to free you from sin and shame. Don’t you see, you too are just like me. I once was lost and lonely, but someone shared the truth with me. The Light penetrated my heart, I repented of my sins, and believed Jesus Christ for salvation. And this same Jesus is the Captain of my ship. Won’t you join me on the good old ship of Zion?’

It was then that this passer-by left me to head back to that old ship of Zion, and I was left with a choice. I chose to follow in His footsteps, to take the path less traveled. I caught up to Him and He introduced me to His Captain. I fell at His feet, realizing my sin and helplessness, and called out to Him for salvation; believing Him for it. And just as He promised, He took me on board and made me a new creature. And it is to that end, that I ask you this simple question…“Which ship are you on?” 

As we prepare to head back to our places of work and school this week, let’s remember that we too have the awesome responsibility to share the same message discussed by these two men…the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is still the power unto salvation. 

Because He lives,

Clint

PS – There is a Winter Jubilee meeting every evening this week (1/25 – 1/29) at 7 PM. And every morning at 9 AM (Tues – Fri). It is at Gateway Baptist Church in Boiling Springs, SC. 1600 Old Furnace Road, 29316.

If you live around this area, it is a great one to be a part of. For those who don’t live around here, the services are streamed live from this website. www.gatewayjubilee.com